John Harbaugh rose through the ranks to become an NFL head coach following a different trajectory than most: He was a special teams coordinator. That area of expertise remains near and dear to his heart and thus it is no surprise that he went out and found one of the best punters in the league to come to the Giants.
On the first day teams were allowed to negotiate with free agents from other teams, the Giants on Monday secured the services of Jordan Stout, who spent his first four NFL seasons with Harbaugh in Baltimore. That Stout received a three-year contract for $12.3 million, The Post confirmed — making him the highest-paid punter in the league — reflects how much Harbaugh values the entire kicking operation.
Based on the average of 58 times per season that Stout punted with Baltimore over his four years there — the Giants last season punted 59 times, so it’s a similar range — and at an average of $4.1 million per season for his new deal, Big Blue will be forking over an estimated $70,689.66 for each punt.
Harbaugh was not impressed with Jamie Gillan, who handled the punting for the Giants the past four seasons. One year ago, Gillan signed a three-year extension for $9 million but he only made it through one year. Last season, he averaged 44.5 yards per punt with a net average of only 38 yards.
Gillan, a left-footer dubbed The Scottish Hammer, was released, saving the Giants only $1.2 million on the 2026 salary cap.
Stout, 27, is an accomplished punter, making first-team All-Pro and the Pro Bowl in 2025 after averaging a career-high 50.1 yards on his 53 punts. He was No. 1 in the league in net punting average (44.9 yards). In his four-year career, Stout has averaged 47.5 yards and has 100 punts inside the 20-yard line.
How much does Harbaugh appreciate this? He signed off on making Stout a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft. At Penn State, Stout was the Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2021.
Jordan Stout Getty Images
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It will likely be a clean house in the kicking game for the Giants, as place kicker Graham Gano is expected to be released.
TE Chris Manhertz was re-signed to a one-year deal. … The Giants, as expected, were not awarded any of the 33 compensatory picks for the 2026 draft. The Ravens received the maximum four picks, a free agency byproduct Harbaugh wants to see the Giants delve into moving forward.
WR Isaiah Hodgins was brought back on a one-year deal. Hodgins was signed late last season and in seven games had 10 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown.